Building Trust: Inclusion

Was on a few calls this week and had some discussions that got me thinking about the importance of inclusion in building trust. Ensuring that there are clear representatives in ALL areas (not just some) and that decisions aren’t being made in a silo.

If you are a consultant, are you engaging with all the stakeholders the client has brought to the table? Not just the ones that are vocal or the ones that you feel more of a connection with or just the ones you like better?

Without realizing you can very quickly make some people feel excluded and erode their trust.

It’s important in client relationships and also important within companies themselves. I think some smaller companies that are growing struggle with this. People that have an ‘ear’ or are closer to people in positions of power tend to be the ones that are listened to and catered to more. Others see this and start to lose trust in the leadership around them, feeling like they aren’t represented or heard. (They are flight risks at this point…)

It’s harder in larger companies because obvi everyone can’t have a seat but feeling represented doesn’t always mean I have a seat. It means someone I trust has a seat. And when no-one you trust has a seat there is a problem. You lack representation.

And lack of representation brews lack of trust.

Make sure you are thinking about that when working with clients – help guide them to ensure they have brought in the right people to represent and make sure you are listening to everyone who is at the table, not just the people sitting close to you.